The Betjeman Arms, N1

I have drunk in here a few times whilst waiting for a train. It has recently been re-modelled to open it up, the old layout being a bit dark. Last time I was in was september 2016, two decent pints of bitter before hopping on a train went down very well indeed. If you sit outside on the platform side, the loos are much closer, as you can access them from the platform. Not sure if the Betjeman is any better than the Parcel Yard at Kings Cross, but it is certainly cheaper than the Great Northern Bar.

An upmarket large and impressive station pub, that does hold a certain grandeur. We sat at the main bar, where we found six cask ales on handpump. So we went for the Hammerton Brewery N7 Pale Ale, which was excellent. I quite liked this pub and would return, especially if they're sourcing good Locale beers. I agree with Quinno the loos are a bit of a hike, still it's a good opportunity to view the rest of the pub.

On my way into one of the many entrances of Kings Cross Station I was happy to be enticed up a flight of stairs by an A board that informed me that the Betjeman Arms above was the ‘last pub before Paris’. Unfortunately I was off to Kentish Town rather than Paris, but as I was wearing my white Reebok beer slippers I decided to scale the stairs anyway. At the top of the stairs I found some terrace seating covered by three jumbrellas. This seating area is available for hire and must be vacated by 21:30 due to the proximity of residential flats. After learning from a food menu by the entrance that the cheapest pub main was £11.50 I entered the pub. The interior has a modern feel with a black and white checked floor. The bar is stocked with premium draught products and I counted six hand pumps. These were drawing Adnam’s Ghost Ship, Truman’s Swift, Stod Fold Brewing Gold, Young’s Wooden Spoon, Twickenham Brewery’s Grandstand and Young’s Ordinary. A board behind the bar advertised bar snacks such as sausage rolls and scotch eggs for £3.50. There was some low background music playing and the only television screen that I saw was showing departure times. However, there is a screen in the ‘club room’ that is available for hire along with a separate dining room. As station pubs go this place is pretty good and I would have no problem returning.